Clam opener

ABSTRACT

A manually actuated, unitary clam opener having bowl and knife members pivotally interconnected in scissors-like configuration is described. The knife and bowl members define normally open, opposed jaws of a mouth at one end of the opener between which a clam is placed for opening, which jaws are movable together in the closing direction upon manually squeezing together of handle portions at the other end of the clam opener. The knife jaw is so formed as to be of increased effective width from its inner edge to its outer edge to provide for wide spreading apart of the clam shell halves, while the bowl member is shallow enough to permit the resultant spreading apart of the hinge end of the clam supported therein.

United States Patent Waechter [451 Dec. 19, 1972 [54] CLAM OPENER [72] Inventor: Friedrich Waechter, RD. 2 Never- Primary Examiner-Lucie Laudenslage' sink Drive, Port Jervis, N.Y. 12771 Cannon v [21] Appl' 118916 A manually actuated, unitary clam opener having bowl and knife members pivotally interconnected in [52] US. Cl ..l7/75, 146/13 Scissors-like configuration is described. The knife and [51] Int. Cl ..A22c 29/00 bowl members define normally open, opposed jaws of [58] Field of Search ..l7/75, 76, 74; 146/13 a mouth at one end of theopener between which a clam is placed for opening, which jaws are movable Rflel'ences Cited together in the closing direction upon manually squeezing together of handle portions at the other end UNITED STATES PATENTS v of the clam opener. The knife jaw is so formed as to D196,381 9/1963 Basilotta ..17/75 X be of increased effective width from its inner edge to 2 g l8 its outer edge to provide for wide spreading apart of 1 t O V111 2,136,816 11/1938 Frazier .(17/76 the clam Shell halves wh'le the bow] member Shal low enough to permit the resultant spreading apart of the hinge end of the clam supported therein.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CLAM OPENER This invention relates to clam opening devices and is directed particularly to a novel and improved unitary claim opener which is scissors-like in construction and operation to provide for its control with one handwhile adjustably supporting the clam to be opened in the other hand for widely opening a clam in a single operation.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a scissors-like clam opener of the above nature having opposed, jaw-like spoon and knife members between which a clam is placed in upright position for opening, the knife member of which is ofsuch configuration as to increasingly spread apart the shell halves of the clam being opened as the scissors-like handles of the device are squeezed together.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a clam opener of the character described wherein the knife member is of such configuration-as to divergently increase in effective width from its inner cutting edge to its outermost edge so as to effect wide spreading apart of the clam shell halves in a gradual manner as the clam opener is operated.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a clam opener of the character described wherein the spoon is of shallow bowl construction permitting wideapart spreading at the inner or hinged end of the claim without constriction as the clam is being opened.

Yet another object is to provide a clam opener which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, effective in operation, attractive in appearance, and long wearing in use.

Other objects features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein in like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a clam opener embodying the invention shown in use;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal view, partly in cross section, taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows:

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal view, partly in cross section, taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the clam opening blade taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, reference numeral designates, generally, a clam opener embodying the invention, the same being comprised of a spoon member 11 and a knife member 12 relatively movably secured to one another substantially midway along their length in scissorslike fashion by a transverse pivot pin 13. The spoon member 11, which'is preferably fabricated of sheet or plate steel, comprises a hand grip portion 14 at one end and a spoon portion 15 at the other or inner end. The hand grip portion 14 is formed with a slightly arcuate top wall portion 16 having inwardly directed, opposed side walls portions 17 and 18. The top wall portion 16 of the hand grip portion 14 extends beyond the outer ends of the side wall portions 17 and 18 to'terminate in an inwardly curved and downwardly directed loop 19 pivotally journalling one end of an elongated, substantially rectangular wire bail 20, for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

The inner ends of the handle grip side wall portions 17 and 18 of the spoon member 11 extend into arcuately enlarged side wall portions 21, 22, respectively, about midway along the length of said spoon member, through openings in which the transverse pivot pin 13 extends for the relative journalling of the knife member 12. The outer bowl ends of the enlarged side wall portions 21 and 22 merge intoshort, downwardly directed skirt portions 23 and 24 defining a shallow oval bowl 25 having its concavity facing the inner or knife edge portion of the knife member 12. The oval bowl 25, as well as theremainder of the spoon member 11, is of sym metrical configuration about a central longitudinal plane, and is provided with a triangular niche 26 at its distal end for the purpose hereinafter appearing. As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the oval bowl 25 is also provided, centrally along its length, with a narrow, arcuate depression 26a extending just'short of the distal or niche end of said bowl. The inner end of the top wall portion 16 of the spoon member handle grip portion 14 terminates at a location slightly beyond the beginning of the arcuately enlarged side wall portions 21,22 thereof to provide a rectangular opening 27 between said handle grip portion and the oval bowl 25 for the through passage of the knife member 12.

The knife member 12 comprises a handle portion 28 at its inner end and a knife blade portion 29 at its outer end. The handle portion 28, which is also preferably fabricated of bent sheet metal, comprises a top wall portion 30 and opposed, inwardly directed side wall portions 31 and 32. The outer end of the top wall portion 30 extends somewhat beyond the outer ends of the side wall portions 31 and 32 to terminate in an upwardly orinwardly extending arcuate hook 33 adapted to be engaged by the free end of the bail 20 for retaining the clam opener 10 inclosed position against the reactive force of a torsion spring hereinbelow more particularly described. The side wall portions 31 and 32 of the knife member handle portion 28 extend beyond the inner end of the top wall portion 30 thereof to provide somewhat enlarged, laterally-spaced journal end portions 34,35 respectively, provided with aligned openings for through passage of the transverse pivot pin 13. The distal ends of the journal end portions 34 and 35 are relatively inwardly offset, as indicated at 36 and 37, to clampingly engage and secure in place, as by rivets 38 and 39, the knife blade portion 29. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner or attached end of the knife blade portion 29 projects in between the opposed journal end portions 34, 35 of the knife member side wall portions 31 and 32, and is provided with an opening for the through passage of the pivot pin 13.

The knife blade portion 29 of the knife member 12 has an inwardly directed, concavely arcuate knife edge portion 40 lying substantially in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the spoon portion 15 of the spoon member 11. The knife member 12, which will preferably be fabricated of hardened stainless steel sheet metal, is of substantial height or width, and is formed along its length, in diverging fashion from its knife edge portion 40, with serpentine bulges of increasing lateral depth from said knife edge portion to the opposite or upper edge portion, as indicated at 41 and 410 at one side thereof and 42 and 42a at the other side thereof.

. Means is provided fornormally resiliently constraining the spoon and knife members 11 and 12 in relatively open disposition, as illustrated in FIG. 1. To this end, a helical torsion spring 43 is provided, said torsion spring having a double loop portion 44 circumjacent the transverse pivot pin 13 at each side of the inner end portion of the knife blade portion 29, and outwardly.

extending leg portions 45 and 46 the outer ends of which rest in abutting engagement against inner. wall portions of the top walls 16 and 30 of respective spoon member hand grip portion 14 and knife member hand grip portion 28. It will be understood that the torsion tion of the clam seated centrally within the oval bowl 25. The closed upper edges of the clam shells will then be so positioned with respect to knife blade portion 29 that when the handle grip portions 14 and 28 are squeezed together with the other hand, the knife edge 40 of said blade will wedge between the shells and begin to open the mouth of the clam. As the handles 14, 28 continue to be squeezed together, the increasingly divergent buldging side wall portions 41, 41a, and 42, 42a, will come .into play to increasingly spread apart the clam shells to an ultimate separation of about three-fourths of an inch, whereupon the partially opened clam can readily be manually opened to the full extent desired for convenient eating. In this connection, it is to be noted that the serpentine configuration of the knife member effects wide apart spreading of the clam half shells during operation of the clam opener while the oval bowl 25 at the same time is shallow enough to permit the resulting spreading apart of the shell at the hinge or back of the clam.

While l have illustrated and described herein only one form in which my invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be noted this form is given by way of example only and not in a limiting sense. The invention,'in brief, comprises all the embodiments and modifications coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

What I claim as new and. desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A claim opener comprising, in combination, an elongated bowl member and an elongated knife member, means, interjoining said bowl and knife members in scissors-like relative configuration, said knife member comprising a blade portion at one end and a handle portion at the other end, said bowl portion comprising a shallow spoon portion at one end, laterally opposing said blade portion, and a second handle portion at its other end laterally opposing said knife member handle portion, said blade portion comprising a cutting eggz gzgcgi g ggpon portion and being of a length ex means extending divergently outward of said cutting edge for gradually spreading apart the: half shells of a clam supported between said spoon portion and said blade edge portion as said handle portions are squeezed together upon operation of the device.

2. A clam opener as defined in claim 1, wherein said blade portion comprises a sheet metal member, said cutting edge lying in a plane longitudinally coaxial with said knife member, said serpentine-like means comprising sideward projections'of increasing depth in said blade portion between said 'inner cutting edge and the outer edge thereof. 5

3. A clam opener as defined in claim 2, wherein said sideward projections define a plane of substantially serpentine configuration.

4. A clam opener as defined in claim 3, including resilient means normally constraining said handle portions and their associated spoon and blade portions in relatively open or spread apart condition.

5. A clam opener as defined in claim 4, including means for locking said handle portions in relatively closed together positions.

6. A clam opener as defined in claim 5, including a niche at the outer end of said spoon portion for interfittingly receiving a zone of said blade edge portion when said handle portions are in relatively closed together positions.

7. A clam opener as defined in claim 6, wherein said blade edge portion is of concavely arcuate shape along its length. 1

8. A clam opener as defined in claim 7, wherein said bowl member is provided with a narrow arcuate depression substantially centrally disposed along its' length for the through passage of said knife member, said interjoining means comprising a transverse pivot pin journalling said knife member to said bowl member in the zone of said opening.

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id spoon portion and serpentine-like 

1. A clam opener comprising, in combination, an elongated bowl member and an elongated knife member, means, interjoining said bowl and knife members in scissors-like relative configuration, said knife member comprising a blade portion at one end and a handle portion at the other end, said bowl portion comprising a shallow spoon portion at one end, laterally opposing said blade portion, and a second handle portion at its other end laterally opposing said knife member handle portion, said blade portion comprising a cutting edge facing said spoon portion and being of a length extending beyond said spoon portion and serpentine-like means extending divergently outward of said cutting edge for gradually spreading apart the half shells of a clam supported between said spoon portion and said blade edge portion as said handle portions are squeezed together upon operation of the device.
 2. A clam opener as defined in claim 1, wherein said blade portion comprises a sheet metal member, said cutting edge lying in a plane longitudinally coaxial with said knife member, said serpentine-like means comprising sideward projections of increasing depth in said blade portion between said inner cutting edge and the outer edge thereof.
 3. A clam opener as defined in claim 2, wherein said sideward projections define a plane of substantially serpentine configuration.
 4. A clam opener as definEd in claim 3, including resilient means normally constraining said handle portions and their associated spoon and blade portions in relatively open or spread apart condition.
 5. A clam opener as defined in claim 4, including means for locking said handle portions in relatively closed together positions.
 6. A clam opener as defined in claim 5, including a niche at the outer end of said spoon portion for interfittingly receiving a zone of said blade edge portion when said handle portions are in relatively closed together positions.
 7. A clam opener as defined in claim 6, wherein said blade edge portion is of concavely arcuate shape along its length.
 8. A clam opener as defined in claim 7, wherein said bowl member is provided with a narrow arcuate depression substantially centrally disposed along its length for the through passage of said knife member, said interjoining means comprising a transverse pivot pin journalling said knife member to said bowl member in the zone of said opening. 